Hybrid Cars(Toyota Prius)...................

Have you ever moved your car to the petrol pump and been shocked by the high price of gas? Is it going to be a common expression due to unstoppable and unpredictable price hike of fuels.However in such condition you will be thinking of  buying a car which delivers more mileage and is easy on the pocket.The answer to your question is going to be Hybrid cars, which is going to be one of the most promising propulsive method in near future.

In this article we will understand the working of hybrid technology, and take a closer look at the recently launched Toyota Prius.

• What is hybrid vehicle? A vehicle which is powered or propelled by two power sources is a hybrid vehicle. For e.g mo-ped is a hybrid vehicle i.e mo means it is powered by a engine and ped alternately it is also powered by pedal effort of human. Any vehicle which combines two type of power sources.Railway engines,submarines,mining trucks are examples of hybrid vehicles.As far as the hybrid cars are concerned they are propelled by a gasoline and electric motor.

• Gasoline(Petrol) power and electric power, both individually have some shortcomings.Their are some specific requirements for a car to be useful for a person.

      1.Drive for at least 500kms before refuelling.

      2.Refuelling should be convenient and fast.

      3.Speed of the car should be able to cope up with traffic. 

                
        A gasoline powered car meets the above requirements, but produces pollution which is unsuitable for the nature.In comparison a electric car does not emit any smoke, but has a very small driving range along with a slower driving speed.

        Thus a ideal choice would be a combination of these two powering systems.

• Gasoline-Electric structure 

        

            The main components of the system:-

         

       1.Gasoline engine-The hybrid car has a gasoline engine which is found in  most of the cars, however the engine here is of a smaller capacity and tuned to deliver high efficiency and low pollution.

       
       2.Fuel Tank-Fuel tank as it is known is the storage for the gasoline in the car, but the interesting fact is that petrol has more energy density than energy of batteries.It takes about 1000 pounds of batteries to develop power of just 4 liters of petrol.
      
     3.Electric motor-The electric motor on a hybrid car is very sophisticated. Advanced electronics allow it to act as a motor as well as a generator. For example, when it needs to, it can draw energy from the batteries to accelerate the car. But acting as a generator, it can slow the car down and return energy to the batteries.
      
     4.Generator-The generator is similar to an electric motor, but it acts only to produce electrical power. It is used mostly on series hybrids.
     
     5.Batteries-The batteries in a hybrid car are the energy storage device for the electric motor. Unlike the gasoline in the fuel tank, which can only power the gasoline engine, the electric motor on a hybrid car can put energy into the batteries as well as draw energy from them.


     6.Transmission-The transmission on a hybrid car performs the same basic function as the transmission on a conventional car. Some hybrids, like the Honda Insight, have conventional transmissions. Others, like the Toyota Prius, have radically different ones.

• Type of Hybrid systems.

     1. Parallel hybrid system-It contains a battery pack which supplies power to the motor which in turn supplies power to the transmission system, and the  transmission system turns the wheels, along with the batteries the engine also powers the car, thus engine and batteries both can simultaneously power the vehicle.

      

       


     2.Series hybrid system-Series hybrid system is a contrast of parallel hybrid system, here only one type energy producing system can power the vehicle. It contains a extra component in the form generator, the generator performs two functions, it either charges the battery or powers the motor to power the vehicle. The generator is turned by the engine.

      Hybrid systems are invented to harness the power of the car from two    different sources increasing the efficiency of the car and also reducing the emissions by a considerable amount.

• Toyota prius a thorough green car manufactured by Toyota, has been launched in india a few months back and is priced with Rs 27 lacs. 

                                                                                                                                               Toyota has a unique hybrid technology known as HYBRID SYNERGY DRIVE,  which propels the vehicle. Functionally it is a combination of a series-paralle hybrid system.Toyota has been using it inits hybrid vehicle range, including Lexus(sold in USA). 

Hybrid synergy drive replaces the standard transmission system used in normal cars with a different transmission system called as E-CVT(Electrnically controlled  Continuously Variable Transmission) which replaces the traditional gears with normally belts and pulleys, the advantage of the later is, that in a normal gearbox we have fixed number of gear ratios(GEAR RATIO IS THE RATIO OF THE SIZE OF TWO GEARS WHICH ARE IN MESH WITH EACH OTHER, WITH WHICH DIFFERENT SPEEDS AND TORQUE CAN BE OBTAINED DEPENDING UPON THE SIZE OF THE GEARS, AND THE NO OF TEETH ON THEM) while in a E-CVT the ratios are nearly infinite, thus the vehicle can get a more number of speed and torque ratios within the limit of CVT.


When the vehicle is turned-on with the "start" button, it is ready to drive immediately with the electric motor, before the internal combustion engine is started. The delay between starting the car and starting the internal combustion engine is approximately seven seconds. A button labelled "EV" maintains Electric Vehicle mode after start up and under most low-load driving conditions. This permits driving with low noise and no fuel consumption, and is advertised as a "quiet" option for short journeys, for example in residential areas at night, in the Asia manual. The car automatically reverts to normal mode if the battery becomes exhausted, i.e it switches the petrol engine on. 


Hybrid synergy drive technology also includes technology like REGENERATIVE BRAKING. Regenerative braking technology converts the heat dissipated while braking into other form of energy to charge the batteries.

The hybrid cars are made for more efficiency than acceleration of the car,considering the mileage figures of the car, they are significantly more than a car of its size and weight.

The mileage specification of the car are not tested as per the indian driving cycle, but the UK specification mentions that the car has a mileage of city driving as 60.3 mpg, which is equivalent to 25 Kmpl, highway driving as 27kmpl, in a combined petrol and electric mode.


In a nut shell it justifies that, hybrid technology is one of the most promising mode of alternative energy power source. The technology is being developed still, which will further boost the mileage and the performance of the vehicle.Companies like GM,HONDA are also working on the technology and have launched their respective vehicles.


Specification:-
Gas engine: Inline 4-cylinder DOHC, 1,497 cc
Peak Horsepower: 70 hp at 4,500 rpm
Peak Torque: 82 lb.-ft. at 4,200 rpm
Fuel Tank Capacity: 45 lts
ELECTRIC MOTOR - Permanent Magnet, 
Capacity: 6.5 amperes
Peak Torque: 258 lb./ft. (350.0 Nm) 0-400 rpm
BATTERY PACK
Peak Horsepower: 25 kW (34 hp)
Nominal Voltage: 274 volts
EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS
Length: 4460mm
Width: 1745mm
Height: 1510mm
Wheelbase: 2700mm
Weight: 1400 kg
Seating Capacity: 5

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL VIEWERS OF CAR'S PARADISE

TOYOTA ETIOS..............

Toyota who believes in doing quality business has launched yet another supremely qualitative product in the form of ETIOS, after several long exhaustive test sessions and pain staking design procedures Toyota has finally launched its cheapest sedan in India, which Toyota proudly says, "INDIA FIRST WORLD FIRST".This car will be the cheapest product available in Toyota's stable, and will be available in both sedan and hatchback versions.The sedan has been launched a month back, and hatchback is expected by march 2011.Toyota is focusing to establish its car as a high quality product, they also have distinguished it as Q CLASS which means that the product quality is top notch.

Another thing toyota has concentrated upon is the utility value of  the product and also the value for money of the product, rather than launching it as a stunning looking expensive product, the articles contains the detail of the product.

The first impressions of the car clarify that the car is simple but decent in looks, however few thoughtful touches like chrome garnish boot grille,fog lamps and a decently styled air dam in the bumper tries to improvise the looks of the car.

The rear also looks a little bit conservatively styled, a plain trunk with a chrome boot strip and a large toyota logo simplifies the rear, the tail lamp of triangular style reminds of logan, the clear lens lamps rather looks good and the license plate integrated neatly into the bumper.

Apart from the styling of the product if we consider the dimensions of the car, it is going to be the versatile sedan of the country so far.The overall length of car is just above 4.2 meters, but the wheel base is a massive 2550mm which is a whole 260mm more than Swift dzire and 70mm more than Aveo, which makes the Etios the most spacious sedan in the segment.The turning radius of   just 4.9mts makes turning the car through narrow street a breeze, also width of 1.6 meters makes the car easier to drive through crowded Indian roads,adequate ground clearance of 170mm will make the car go through the worst bumps without hassle.The trunk space of 595lts is by far the largest trunk available in any sedan in India, apart from HM Contessa(600lts) which is out of production, so now long trips will be more on charts.

The interior styling is neither more appealing as far as the looks are concerned, but there are some niche features which will not be seen in any other car.Starting with the unique vertically mounted twin AC vents which ensure faster cabin cooling, the centrally mounted instrument cluster which has speedo and tacho laid in a horizontal or a hemispherical manner rather than  circular one, reminds me of old Premier Padmini(FIAT).The steering, which  is placed ergonomically for better driving position, has a flat bottom which is again a first in the segment and looks very sporty, it also has steering mounted controls for the audio.Glove box is equipped with a cooling facility, can hold up to 13 one liter bottles at a time a first in the segment again.

The interior space is undoubtedly the best in class, and also can put large size  sedans to shame. The rear legroom is tremendous, so is the head room and knee room, and the space upfront is also big, so tall six footers can also find reasonable space.
Normally their is a 6 inch high hindrance at the bottom of the car,in the middle row of back seat, Etios has nearly flat bottom of only 1 inch which provides comfortable seating for the back seat middle passenger.The interior material is decent and the design is made very thoughtfully keeping utility perspective in mind.

The engine is a 16-valve, dual overhead camshaft, 1493cc engine producing 90Bhp and 132NM of torque, the engine is a bit low on the power compared to displacement(CC), reason behind it is to keep the fuel efficiency high. However   when you tap the accelerator pedal you wont feel the deficit because of the 900kg light weight of the car, on the contrary the acceleration of the car feels like some 100Bhp sedan.Diesel engine is not available in present, availability is uncertain. Sources suggest the car might will be equipped with the same engine as that of Corolla Diesel.
Transmission system will be standard 5-speed manual, their will disc brakes at the front and drum at the rear.
ABS and Airbags are available on higher trim version.


Car's Paradise took an exclusive test drive of the car and found out that the car  is extremely strong as far as the acceleration is concerned, it can by pass many high powered cars which has more power and which are more expensive.As soon as the accelerator pedal is pressed the car zooms ahead, and the feeling is like driving a car equipped with a turbocharger.The interior quality is very decent with perfectly placed steering wheel and perfectly bolstered seats, for good maneuverability and great comfort.The riding position is perfect.The space within the car is simply massive, with the front seats slided at the back most position, there is plenty of room to accommodate 3 adults abreast who are 6' tall. The electronic power steering shows its magic in city driving, the car turns like a breeze in tight spots. The trunk is really big which can hold atleast three foreign sized bags along with some small bags.The negative point of the car that Car's Paradise found that, the light weight of the car might just put an restriction on high speed stability of the car, but we don't just buy cars for racing.Overall the car leaves a fantastic impression and is just the right the car to buy at a really affordable price.  


Specifications:-
Engine:- Inline 4-cyl 1493cc,16 valve,DOHC
Max Power:- 90Bhp@5600 RPM
Max Torque:-132NM@3000 RPM
(L*W*H)-4265*1695*1510
Wheelbase-2550
Suspension-Mac Pherson Strut-(Front),Torsion Beam -(Rear)
Brakes-Disc-(Front),Drum-(Rear)
Transmission-5-speed manual
Tank-45liters
Turning Radius-4.9 mts
Tyres-175/65 R14, 185/60 R14
Kerb Weight-900kg
Trunk Space-595lts

Feature	J	G	V	VX
Airbags	-	Optional	Yes	Yes
ABS	-	Optional	Yes	Yes
Power Steering	-	Yes	Yes	Yes
Power windows	-	Yes	Yes	Yes
Central Locking	-	Yes	Yes	Yes
Keyless Entry	-	Yes	Yes	Yes
Alloy Wheels	-	-	Yes	Yes
Audio with Remote	-	-	2-DIN CD/MP3	2-DIN CD/MP3
Price in lakhs (ex sh Delhi)	4.96	5.46	6.41	6.86

The car starts at 4.96 lakh Rs Ex-Showroom, which is solely targeted against cars like Swift Dzire, Tata Manza and Mahindra Logan.
In a nut shell this car is all set to take the competition, and with the type of service Toyota provides, and the unique but useful features of this car, it is going to thrill the competition and the buyers as well.

New VW Jetta

With the emerging success of new cars by VW in India Volkswagen is planning to launch all new VW Jetta by mid 2011.The car will a whole new design and a very dynamic image.According to the company officials the car has been substantially re-engineered and is based on the NCC coupe. It will be based on the VW golf platform, but will not be sharing any of its components.

The new Jetta has a aggressive front stance, and reminds of its siblings the Polo and Vento. The new features includes a all new bumper, new twin lamp headlamps, a new front grille. However the headlamp lacks the facility of projector headlights or xenon lamps, gets the usual clear lens lights. The rear view mirror outside has integrated indicator lamps.

The headlamp unit will also be equipped with high intensity halogen lamps, which also has daytime running lights, a feature found in expensive cars.

The rear end of the car is also a very fresh design, but the tail lights look more like an Audi rather than VW. Doesn't matter as Audi and VW are of the same stable.

  
New features includes new bumper,trunk integrated license plate and a new twin exhaust pipe.The trunk space has been reduced to 510lts from previous 530lts which is almost marginal.The big coupe styled rear windshield offers brilliant visibility.A very new feature of the car is that a new illumination geometry illuminates the lower license plate and the trunk area together. The boot is sculpted aerodynamically to reduce and subject the drag force downwards to the road.  

The interior has set a new benchmark in terms of quality, which is simply class leading. Some of the bits are carried from Passat, the two tone black and beige interiors looks luxurious along with the chrome inserts in the dashboard. The dashboard is inclined by a few degrees to the driver side for easy reach of he driver.Gear lever position is ergonomically designed.

VW has added some impressive features like iPod connectivity, parking assistance system and multi information system,12 way electrically adjustable seats is also available for accurate riding position and also cruise control. The interior is highlighted with a wooden garnish makes a luxurious feel in the car. However Automatic climate control system remains absent in all the the variants and also a car of this price

The new Jetta is high on safety features, which is consistent for Europeanized cars. Six airbags comes as standard, for proper inflation of airbags the company has provided a special sensor for detecting crash, ESP(Electronic stabilization program), the car is provided with special accelerometers with detects the stability of the vehicle at high speed and stabilizes the car. Disc brakes on all wheels are standard along with ABS

The car is spacious from inside the rear legroom and headroom are decent and the seats are comfortable with good reclining angle. The front seats are very supportive, has good thigh support. While rear seats comfy with ample of legroom and knee room. The increased wheelbase from 2580mm to 2633mm has increased the cabin space, whch is now class leading. The trunk capacity is 510 lts, and the seats fold in 60:40 way to provide a more space.

 Presently Indian model has only one engine option, 1968cc, 140 Bhp and 320NM of torque. Both automatic and manual transmission are available. Overall a nice solid car, puched with a great diesel engine and, solid ride and handling characteristics and decent price makes it a tempting package. However VW has missed out on features like automatic climate control system which is a set back for such a luxurious car.

Price Range (in lakhs)*
Ex-showroom Price	Rs 14.12-17.86 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
ENGINE
Fuel	Diesel
Installation	Front, transverse, front-wheel drive
Type	4 cyls in-line, 1968cc, common-rail, turbo-diesel
Valve gear	4 valves per cyl, DOHC
Power	138bhp at 4200rpm
Torque	32.6kgm at 1750rpm
Transmission
Type	Automatic
Gearbox	6-speed DSG 6-speed manual
Chassis & Body
Length	4644mm
Width	1778mm
Height	1453mm
Wheel Base	2633mm
Boot Volume	510-litres
Weight	1460kg
Wheels	16inch
Tyres	205/55-R16, tubeless
Suspension
Front	Independent, MacPherson struts, coil springs
Rear	Independent, four-link, coil springs
Steering
Type Power	Electro-mechanical power assisted rack and pinion.
Brakes
Front	Vented discs
Rear	Discs
Tank size	55-litres

  

Happy Dhanteras to all the viewers of Car's Paradise

            

     

CNG V/S DIESEL

CNG v/s DIESEL?This is becoming a very common question for car buyers now a days. With the developing infrastructure in the form of CNG filling stations and kit fitting stations people are getting tempted to run their vehicle on CNG, and also the latest technologically equipped cars are giving the petrol cars a run for their money.


1.Analysis on CNG
Coming on to CNG equipped cars, the most advantageous parameter is terrific economy, the running cost is only1.3 to 1.5 re/km where as the same petrol car costs 3.5-4.5 re/km, where as the diesel car costs 2.5-3.5 re/km. With CNG car you have decent economy,with which you can freely move your car without fearing about the running cost. Development of CNG filling stations is on a high growth so searching for filling stations will not be a problem. The most of  Gujarat region has the CNG filling stations, and you can also find CNG stations in Mumbai.CNG filling stations are not available across the country, they are concentrated in Gujarat and Maharashtra and some parts of northern India like Delhi, Gurgaon,Jaipur.It is less developed in southern India with only a few stations in metropolitan cities like Hyderabad.


The other most advantageous point of using CNG cars is its less polluting tendency, it is less polluting by 70% than petrol cars, by using CNG cars the preservation of nature is confirmed.
                                                             
Along with the advantages, there are some disadvantages of the using CNG. The CNG is stored in a metal storage tank  which uses up the trunk space(diki) so in case of small car a carrier has to be fitted and a sedan car(car with separate trunk) the trunk sizes reduces to half.Moreover CNG being a gaseous fuel does not have the volatility of petrol so it does not burn very efficiently, hence you have a power cut of 10% over the same petrol vehicle, E.g if a petrol car power is 100BHP then the same car will produce 90BHP, so their is less pick up compared to petrol vehicle. Proper fitting of kit is very important, improper fitted kits will result in frequent garage visits, with the problems like starting trouble.


Analyzing the running cost, if the running of car is more than 25 km a day, then CNG will be economical.The CNG kit will cost around 30-40 thousand rupees, so the price of CNG kit will be recovered in one year, considering a 3 Re saving per KM and running of 12000 km a year, which equates to 36000 Rs in a year.The succeeding years of driving will be your saving.


While buying CNG car be sure that the dealer provides engine warranty, fitting CNG kit without dealer or company warranty will lapse warranty period, resulting in no free replacement in case of any sensor or other engine problem.The problems are rare but the risk should be avoided.


Driving your car only on CNG will choke up the fuel injectors and also disturb the valve setting after 15000kms,so it is advisable to run you car on petrol for 10kms in every 150kms to avoid such problem.   


2.Analysis on Diesel 
Coming on to diesel, the latest diesel engines unlike the old diesel engines, are more sophisticated in terms of economy and performance. The latest engines are electronically controlled, and all the parameters of engine are monitored by Electronic Control module(ECM), so the efficiency is high and the noise and vibrations are very low. Driving a latest diesel car will pamper you the same as a petrol car. The latest diesel cars are equipped with turbo charger which produces more power,which gives you more pick up sometimes even better than petrol.Their isn't any problem of diesel filling stations like CNG.


Running cost for diesel cars are about 2-3 Re/km which is whole 1.5 times more than CNG and 1.5 times less than petrol, and also the diesel car costs 70,000rs more than same petrol car.The advantage is that the trunk space is not compromised and also you can take the car anywhere with the proper availability of diesel across country unlike CNG. For diesel the more the number of kilometers you drive the more is the advantage, because with  more number of kilometers the running costs saving increases.Latest diesel engines are equipped with turbo chargers and have high torque. It suffers from turbo lag thus you will feel sudden acceleration after 1-2 sec time. Problem which is somewhat common with all diesel cars. Thus buying diesel car is a thoughtful think where CNG sources aren't developed.


3.CONCLUSION
Concluding it can be said that with developing infrastructure and economical running CNG has a bright future,their is a little disappointment with the pick up and the trunk space,avoiding these two facts a fantastic and a economic deal.Diesel is also advantageous with great pick up and technology and is worth buying, but for uncertainty of the fuel prices and the higher initial cost diesel cars are always going to be more expensive deal.